Play With Your Pro

Last week we held the final Blue Tee Competition for the winter, Play With Your Pro. It was teams of 3 Texas Scramble round the front 9 and I would play 1 hole with every group, trying to contribute as best I could. Luckily I manage to contribute to every team whether that was a drive, approach, chip or a putt...I still got it! The golf was played in the spirit I had hoped for, with everybody having a laugh and a good time with lots of birdies in between.

Once the final putts had been holed it was time to head into the Clubhouse for what everybody had really come for...Bernie's cake! After we had warmed up it was time to announce the winning team, with an amazing 7 under par through 9 holes AND a player short Mollie Lawrence & Jordan Godwin were top of the pile.

I've got some great feedback from those that played and it's lovely to hear that members new & old enjoyed it.

Thank you to everybody that supported the day!

 

Odyssey Works Putters

Alongside Callaway comes the NEW Odyssey Works range. For 2016 Odyssey have adapted the face with newly created Fusion RX inserts, combining the insert used in the White Hot putters but with an ultra thin stainless steel mesh; the new insert is designed to reduce the amount of time the ball skids along the green and so gets it rolling along quicker for a purer roll. The putter head also sports the Versa alignment design with a black & sliver striped contrast making it easier to line up and hole more putts.

Odyssey have combined 2 very successful technologies from the past, Versa & Metal X, to create an even better putter for 2016 but to add to the growing benefits ALL Odyssey Works putters come with the 2015 phenomenon SuperStroke grip which is  designed to reduce a 'wristy' stroke and create more of a pendulum feeling to your stroke. If that doesn't sell it for you Odyssey also give you a 2 year warranty!

Some of the putters come with counterbalance, but what exactly is it? Well this is when extra weight is added to the grip end of the club due to a heavy putter head, the extra weight is usually a longer shaft, longer grip and in some cases interchangeable weights on the butt of the grip. Counterbalance is a new concept but has really taken off in recent years due to the anchoring ban which came into play this year. The heavier putter is aimed at players who flip their hands over at impact causing a pull and lots of missed putts, the now illegal anchored putter was designed to stop this. The counterbalance putters have a higher MOI (moment of inertia) meaning that the head will not rotate around an axis at impact meaning the ball will start on line much better.

Ball Below Feet

This week we will look at another awkward lie, the ball below the feet shot. Check out our tips below...

1. Shift the weight into the heel. Due to the awkwardness of the shot it will become a lot harder for the player to maintain balance because gravity will pull you down the slope during their swing so try to feel like you are leaning back into the slope.

2. Bend at the hips & flex your knees. To maintain your distance from the ball and of course be able to reach it you may have to bend from the hips and flex your knees more than usual, the more severe the slope the more you will have to bend & flex.

3. Grip at the end of the club. You need to maintain your distance from the ball as you would from a flat lie and so you may have to grip much further up the club than you normally would.

   

4. Aim left of the target. The slope can restrict the players ability to complete full rotation and so the swing will become more 'armsy' causing the club to go back outside the line meaning that the ball will start left. However the slope will cause the clubface to point right of the target due to face plane tilt, this will have a greater effect on  the shorter clubs due to them having more loft. For a more supple player where normal rotation can be made they can aim straighter like a normal shot. BE CAREFUL! If the slope is very steep the heel of the club may dig in and cause the clubface to turn over and the ball will fly straight left, the only way to test the boundaries is by trial and error.

5. Move the ball position back slightly. If you are playing from severe slopes the ball position should be moved back slightly to reduce the risk of the heel digging in, however if the slope is not too severe then the ball position can remain as you would normally play it. Again, the only way to judge this is by trial and error.

   

 

Scotland vs. England

This weekend saw the start of the Rugby Six Nations and with that Scotland vs. England went head to head but that wasn't the main attraction! What was more captivating was Bob Dench's Scottish Warriors taking on Robin Packer's English Roses here at R&CPGC, the perfect curtain raiser before the sides settled down to watch the rugby.  Saturday wasn't a good day for Scottish rugby, getting well and truly trounced in their own backyard by a far more superior England side, but to make matters worse the Scottish contingency let their nation down on the fairways of R&CPGC and were crushed by a massive 6 1/2 - 1 1/2 to the might of Robin The Lionheart's band of Englishmen. Never mind lads, there's always the football this summer...oh wait hang on.

Clinic Dates

With the warmer weather on its way, the competitions will be coming round thick and fast so is your game ready for what 2016 has to offer? If your not completely convinced then pop along to 1 of the clinics myself & Rob will be running through April, we will cover every aspect of the game from driving to putting! Each session will cost £10 or you can multi buy clinic vouchers for a discounted rate. Sign up in the ProShop, please find the dates below:

Thursday 31st March 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Bunkers

Sunday 3rd April 10:00am - 11:00am, Bunkers

Thursday 7th April 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Chipping

Sunday 10th April 10:00am - 11:00am, Chipping

Thursday 14th April 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Putting

Thursday 21st April 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Full Swing

Sunday 24th April 10:00am - 11:00am, Putting

Thursday 29th April 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Full Swing

MOT Dates

All through February we are giving members the chance to MOT their golf game, we take a look at whether your shafts are right for your swing speed, if your grips are the right size for you, how far your wedges go and if there's any tweaks we can make to your swing using GC2, Coaches Eye & SkyPro. All this fro just £30, your car MOT costs way more and you will never get half the enjoyment from that as you would from a Golf Game MOT. There are only a few slots so make sure you get yours! Please find the dates below and sign up in the ProShop now:

Monday 15th February 10:00am - 11:00am & 11:00am - 12:00pm

Friday 19th February 10:00am - 11:00am & 11:00am - 12:00pm

Saturday 20th February 10:00 - 11:00am

Monday 22nd February 10:00am - 11:00am & 11:00am - 12:00pm

Friday 26th February 10:00am - 11:00am & 11:00am - 12:00pm

Saturday 27th February 10:00am - 11:00am 

Bunker Rakers Wanted!

We are looking for 2 early morning bunker rakers

-Times are 6.00am - 9.00am

Every Saturday & Sunday throughout the year.

Please note this is quite physical work and if you are still at school, for legal reasons, you will need to have completed year 11.

Contact the Club office 01474 823411 option 1 Or email manager@rochesterandcobhamgc.co.uk 

Wendy would like to point out a few dates for your diary coming up, if you would like to be part of the fun then sign up in the bar with Wendy and her team:

Sunday Lunch on 21st February

Gourmet Night on Friday 26th February

Tea At The Races on Friday 18th March, the perfect opportunity to spoil your mum for Mother's Day.